Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today presided over a graduation ceremony for 914 new police officers at Madison Square Garden. The graduates recently completed over six months of intensive training at the Police Academy in various field assignments. The new officers will be assigned to Operation Impact, the program that pairs rookie officers with experienced supervisors and deploys them to targeted high-crime areas.

"All of today's graduates will enter one of the Police Department's most successful programs, Operation Impact," said Mayor Bloomberg at the event. "Working together with experienced supervisors, they'll go into some of the toughest neighborhoods in the City, and make them safer for New York's families. With just four days of the year remaining, it appears we have an historic achievement within our reach: recording fewer than 500 murders for 2007, something that hasn't been achieved since official records have been kept."

"The NYPD's record-setting crime fighting was bolstered today with the graduation of 914 of the nation's best trained police officers," said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. "All have been assigned to impact zones with the mission to continue to suppress crime in the city. These new officers have joined the largest and most diverse police department in the nation in the most diverse city in the world."

This class is among the most diverse to have ever graduated from the academy. Approximately 27% of the graduates are Hispanic, 13% are black, 7% are Asian and 52% are white. Approximately 17% of the graduates are female. Today's class is made up of 219 graduates who have received four-year college degrees; 163 have completed associates degrees. Members of the class hail from a wide range of professions including 123 graduates who have served in the military.

Mayor Bloomberg presented the Mayor's Award to Police Officer Karolina Wierzchowska for earning the highest overall average in today's class. In addition, Police Officer Michael Aliseo Jr. received the Police Commissioner's Award for earning the second highest overall average. Police Officer Karolina Wierzchowska also received the First Deputy Commissioner's Award for earning the highest academic average. Police Officers Christopher Ianno and Meredith McGovern received the Chief of Department's Award for earning the highest physical fitness runoff average. Police Officer Edgar Petrelli-MacKay received the Deputy Commissioner of Training Award for earning the highest firearms proficiency average. Police Officer Shaheed Ahmad received the Commanding Officer's Award for exceptional police duty. Police Officer Peter M. Villahoz received the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Award as outstanding company sergeant. Police Officer Ann Cichon received the New York City Police Foundation Award for exceptional community service.